Day 6 - Pácora - Salamina

After the usual start to the day, I quickly took a walk around the town to take some photographs and then we had a tour of the Casa de Cultura, Cultural Centre. The centre was interesting as part of it was a museum. After the tour we set off through the streets of Pàcora, and up a grassy hill to a monument which stood overlooking the town. A little girl climbed part of the way with us and was rewarded with some sweets and biscuits from some of the group. She said she wanted to be a doctor or nurse when she grows up and I hope she achieves her goal. It's not easy for people from poor families to get a good education. There are state universities where the level of education is very good and the cost very low, however, the number of places available is far less than the number of students trying to get in. The other drawback is that if you are not from the city you have to pay for food and lodging unless you have some family members that live in the city and can put you up. She was a lovely kid, very polite and educated for her age.We climbed a little higher and walked for some time through fog which had appeared from nowhere. For me it was very pleasant as it was very fresh and ideal for walking. Around midday we got to an unpaved road where there was a junction and a small cafe where we stopped to have a rest, some refreshments and lunch. It was still cloudy and fresh but the fog had disappeared. After lunch we continued downhill for some time until we came to an old rickety bridge made of Guadua, thick bamboo, which was precariously suspended over a river we had to cross. That was fun! From there we climbed a bit and the views were spectacular, then we came out onto an unpaved road and almost everyone decided to wait for the bus to take them into Salamina as from there it was about 8 kilometres along a paved road. I decided to continue on foot but it wasn't long before those walking with me except for two, managed to hitch a lift in a passing van. The three of us walked all the way to Salamina and arrived tired but happy at about six thirty. I had been told on various occasions that Salamina was a very beautiful town, similar to Jerico or Santa Fe de Antioquia near Medellin and so after dinner I took a walk around the town with some of my fellow hikers. Although it was dark it was possible to appreciate the beauty of the buildings with their brightly coloured balconies. I returned to the hotel around 10:00 p.m. and went straight to bed, planning to get up early the next morning to take a stroll around the town and plenty of photographs.